Drivers promised more roadside checks
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Teresa Bird
Gazette staff
RCMP traffic stops will be more frequent on the North Island.
The RCMP Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) was in the region last week and they plan to be back at least once a month.
“We are going to be here more often than we have been,” said Cpl. Ted Boeriu. “There is a new unit starting in Nanaimo for the South Island. That allows us to spend more time in other areas. It’s safe to say we’ll be here once a month.”
The unit focuses on enforcing the Motor Vehicle Act to keep roads safer, said Boeriu. They check for licences, insurance, speed, seat belts and car seats. They also check commercial vehicles and carry portable scales.
“We are not restricted to be on the highway,” said Boeriu. “We can be on residential streets, forest service roads ... wherever we perceive there is a problem.”
And IRSU works with local RCMP to identify problem areas, said Cpl. Michelle LeBrun of the Port Alice detachment.
“For instance, recently we’ve had lots of complaints on Marine Drive in Port Alice of people speeding,” said LeBrun. “We’ve asked IRSU to keep it in mind for their patrols.”
Boeriu said that support goes both ways.
“The north has been one of our strongest supports,” said the corporal. “You’re addressing your problems. We’re not getting many impaireds. That’s the local police doing their job.”
The program is primarily about harm reduction said Boeriu.
“Seat belts are our highest priority. A good percentage of fatalities are still unbelted drivers,” he said. “I think it (the program) has had an effect. The tickets were easier to give out four years ago. People are learning.”
But it’s not about the tickets, said Boeriu. It’s about safety.
“Our job isn’t to give out tickets. If we could come up here and not have to write a ticket we’d be doing our job,” he said. “But sometimes people need a financial reminder.”
So where do North Island drivers need to improve?
“Car seat use needs improvement,” said Boeriu, relating an incident of a toddler unbelted in a car while the car seat was in the trunk. “These little people are relying on us to make good decisions for them, so it’s a high priority.”
And finally, speed on Highway 19 between Port Hardy and Sayward is a concern especially as winter approaches.
“Drive to the conditions,” warned Boeriu. “We’ll write tickets for going 90 in a 90 zone in really bad conditions.”
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